The Official 356Talk Forum

There is a wide 5 to smaller 5 lug adapter that’s sold or was for putting later wheels on earlier cars. That spaces the wheels out another inch give or take which kind of makes it harder to fit 6 inch wheels. I’ve seen people do it though I don’t know what has to be done - convert to C disc brakes?

Thank you, Greg. It's looking like trying to use 15"x6" Fuchs wheels will not work on my T5 B without first converting to disc brakes and also possibly having to slightly flare out the fenders. I don't think I want to make that much investment to get the look I like. If I was 10 years younger, maybe but I'm approaching my twilight years of 356 ownership so it doesn't make sense for me.
Mario

Check out the Technomagnesio wheels for wide 5 bolt pattern …

Our car had no tires, and I needed to get it rolling so it could go on a trailer. It won't be driven any time soon, so I was looking for the cheapest option I could find. The local tire shop found these, and I got all four including mounting for $300. Less than what one unmounted tire costs for my 2014 911!

Thunderer Mach I R201 165/80R15 87T. Steel belted radial. They appear to be from a Thai company. Exciting to see tires on it. The first time in probably 15 years!

Art Caputo wrote: ↑Fri Jun 10, 2022 7:37 pm It’s been about 15 months and 4000 miles since I mounted a set of Michelin 165x1R15 tires on my 1960 Roadster B.

Art,
What type of Michelins did you purchase?
Thanks.
Dan

Dan Macdonald wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 6:11 am

Art Caputo wrote: ↑Fri Jun 10, 2022 7:37 pm It’s been about 15 months and 4000 miles since I mounted a set of Michelin 165x1R15 tires on my 1960 Roadster B.

Art,
What type of Michelins did you purchase?
Thanks.
Dan

Dan,
They are Coker Tire Michelin XZX 165SR15

do you know or does any one know what the temperature range is for the Michelin XzX tires are ?
ie can I drive these at near freezing temperatures ?

Simple answer is high performance summer tires are not advisable below 40 degrees F and all season which I believe is the Michelin are good in below freezing.

I dont beleive there currently is a winter tyre made on a classic tyre carcass for 356.

the best 165R15 tyres are on here

https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/classi ... e/356.html

The best sporting tyre will be the CN36

If you start to modify things to try to keep all the foot print of a modern tyre on the road then the CR6ZZ 185/70VR15 Avon is pretty good, but the CN36 would be a better road tyre.

If it is a peruiod tyre you are looking for i think the Cinturato CA67 is the only one to my knowledge. It is also a fab tyre and will work beautifully on a 356. That is probably what id fit, theough the CN36 is a bit more sporty. (but also more modern 1968)

XAS is great and also now like the CN36 N homologated by Porsche as their recomended tyres. (XAS is 1965)

this is good - facts not opinions
I do have some glimmers of hope of a future project

Currently there isn't really a good tyre for the pre A 356 on 16" wheels. Dunlop did make quite a good tyre, but that has been out of production for years. Avon make a good tyre in the 525-16 Avon Tourist, but it is good for a different type of car. (in the same way the Michelin XZX is good for a Beetle but not a 356). So i have been in discussions with Pirelli because currently they are being very pro active about making great classic car tyres. They didnt say no. So lets keep our fingers crossed and see what we can come up with.

Isn’t the XZX fine for a 356 if you don’t need it terribly sporty? And maybe at least as good as what was available in 1960?

Martin Benade wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 2:50 pm Isn’t the XZX fine for a 356 if you don’t need it terribly sporty? And maybe at least as good as what was available in 1960?

You pegged it! think it depends on how one defines “sporty”. I think the XZX is nicely matched to my ‘60 Roadster, displaying the same captivating handling characteristics I so much enjoyed back in the day… This is my primary motivation for owning/driving the 356. No problem using +80% of its capability on the heavily frequented, secondary back roads, my favorite pastime…..I’d be hard pressed to approach half that with my 911, which is surely not as much fun!

Martin Benade wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 2:50 pm Isn’t the XZX fine for a 356 if you don’t need it terribly sporty? And maybe at least as good as what was available in 1960?

Sort of.

But before people get excited, the differences are subtle and more beneficial when you are really pressing on in wiggly roads and fast corners.

So with respect to what our friend Art Caputo says he is enjoying cruising round some country roads in a Roadster with the top down. The XZX will give a lovely comfortable ride, it wil be great in the wet, and the steering will be reasonably light and precise. However those heavily siped blocks will have a certain amount of movement aimed at moving water and remaining maluable in snow won't help the progressive handling when pressing on, as won't the side wall that gives that lovely smooth ride.

And they are not similar to the characteristics of the handling you might have experienced in the day. That is the sort of view of people that thing a tyre is just a tyre. The characteristics of a tyre caracss contributes more to it than that. The closest you can get to experienceing a family saloon kind of handling you would have experienced in the day is by fitting the 155R15 Michelin X But again i would say "great for a Beetle but not suited to a 356". A sports car benefits from a more structured carcass. the XZX is a 1975 tyre that was a development of the ZX which was a 1960s development of the Michelin X of the late '40s

The Cinturato CA67 is the first radial tyre that was developed for Sports in 1952. It has a more structured tread to not move around, it has a more structured carcass to withstand side forces with the rounded shoulders that maintain progressive handling on a car with the body roll of vehicles of this period. it will give lovely fast pricise steering and genuinely give you a period driving feel, while at the same time a bit more security, because of modern improved build quality and better compounds in the wet.

https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/tyres/165-15.html

Yes the XZX is a good tyre, but not really suited to the 356, becuase a 356 Porsche is a sports car. The Cinturato is better for a 356. But if you only want to drive your 356 like a Beetle then its fine, but the Cinturato would be better.

From actual experience of driving around British roads in the 60's in different "sporty" cars i can attest to Dougals statements re difference between Michelin X and the Cinturato. The X ride was more comfortable but the breakaway point where the tyre just lost traction came without warning whereas the Cinturato gave subtle warning signs and was more controllable when it let go.
By far the best tyre I drove on at that time was the Michelin XAS of my BMW 1800ti.
Expensive but lasted well.

David Jones wrote: ↑Thu Oct 13, 2022 9:57 am From actual experience of driving around British roads in the 60's in different "sporty" cars i can attest to Dougals statements re difference between Michelin X and the Cinturato. The X ride was more comfortable but the breakaway point where the tyre just lost traction came without warning whereas the Cinturato gave subtle warning signs and was more controllable when it let go.
By far the best tyre I drove on at that time was the Michelin XAS of my BMW 1800ti.
Expensive but lasted well.

Beautifully put.

Also the XAS is ace, but that is somewhat later 1965 compared to the 1952 of the Cinturato. Where the XAS really excelled was with cruising on motorways, they helped cars drive in a straight line and diminished wandering.

https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/michel ... s/xas.html

I put my mates VW Beetle on XAS it was great
I put my Aunties Alfa Spider on XAS, lovely
i had XAS on my Daimler V8 ans it made it go in a straight line, and the steering lighter.
I have my Silver Shadow on XVS (an evolution of the XAS) and that makes a massive difference.

At the time there wasn't a Cinturato available for these cars, if there were it wouldn't be such a clear choice as these cars were of the XAS age.

I did however put my Lotus Elite on Cinturato CA67 and thrashed round the country lanes in it and they were superb. The stearing was so precise and the handling so predictable and progressive, but that was a beautiful car. I actually raced it on the Cinturato as well and suprised a lot of other cars fitted with Dunlop Racing tyre, and i just kept driving around the outside of them in the wet.



Borrani wheels as well. Phwarr!

What David said - same experience driving on the back roads in the SF area East Bay in California in the late 60's. Michelin X would wear very well and had a very hard compound which probably gave it that sudden breakaway reputation. Pirelli Cinturato had great grip but wore out very quickly. There's always a tradeoff.
Love the Lotus ...